I begin with full disclosure, as they say in journalism. Scandalously, I did not commence my undergraduate degree at Rochester as a history major. In August 1986, I arrived on the River Campus intending to focus on physics and astronomy. However, after taking “Venture 1: Foundations of Western Culture” featuring engaging professors such as Richard Kaeuper, I rediscovered my passion. And, if you’ll pardon the cliché, the rest is history.
Some of my fondest Rochester memories involve history classes. From my freshman year, I remember Professor Kaeuper’s comparison of various medieval events to scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (a particularly inspired choice, especially for the last class before a holiday break). Sophomore year, a fellow Drama House resident and I discovered through an in-class reading of John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger as part of “Great Britain II: 1851-Present” that Professor Stewart Weaver also had a thespian past.
My junior year was spent at the Keele University in Staffordshire, England. That I was allowed to design my own program between Rochester and a British university with which there was no prior relationship speaks volumes about the U of R, especially Jacqueline Levine of the Study Abroad Office and my departmental advisors in history and political science (my other major). The idle chitchat at the campus pub my first week there turned decidedly more sober when a student from Northern Ireland turned to me and said, “So, what’s it like to live in a free society?” Thankfully, Professor Weaver’s class was excellent preparation for my sink-or-swim experiment as Keele’s only one-year visiting American student during the 1988-89 academic year.
Back at Rochester as a senior, I had the pleasure of taking “Nationalism and Revolution” with Professor Celia Applegate. Most texts from this and other history classes remain in my collection and I can’t look at “Peasants into Frenchmen” without remembering our euphemistic classroom re-titling of the book as “Potatoes into French Fries.”
After Rochester, I went directly to graduate school at American University to earn a master’s degree in communications. Still unsure of my exact career path, the department chairwoman, for whom I would work as part of a graduate fellowship, turned to me and said, “Adam, nothing you learn is ever wasted.” This truism barely resonated with me then, as wisdom is rarely acknowledged or truly appreciated during our formative years.
Seven years as a television producer/director here in the Washington, D.C. area have been followed by more than two decades as a public relations agency executive representing various high-technology companies, primarily involved in aviation, aerospace and defense. Neither would have been on my list of likely outcomes during my freshman year at Rochester, such is the nature of serendipity.
Although my graduate school classes taught me job skills useful in both careers, it was my Rochester education that refined my ability to think, write and speak – fundamental prerequisites for success in a variety of professions. And roughly 20 years as an adjunct professor teaching AU’s undergraduate and graduate PR majors has reinforced my belief that the best recipe for success in an industry like communications is not necessarily a degree in that field, but a strong broad-based approach through other disciplines such as history. Moreover, I’ve seen the joy experienced by my daughter Celia who took multiple history courses during the past four years and incorporated the department into her current Take Five scholarship year.
So, to undergraduates considering or already pursuing a history major/minor, I say the following with complete conviction and anecdotal evidence: You are better prepared for more careers than you can imagine. The path may seem less clear compared to your peers specializing in natural sciences and engineering, but the journey really is part of the reward. In fact, education, journalism, marketing, research, civil service and countless other manifestations of gainful employment await you. More importantly, rest assured the basic building blocks of a productive member of society in a rapidly-changing world – perspective, analytical thought and strong communication skills – are being honed with every step you take. Rejoice in the freedom to explore knowledge now and the rest will reveal itself in time.
And to my colleagues among the ranks of history alumni, I encourage you to continue the dialogue about the concrete and abstract benefits of our Rochester history department education. We have a great story to tell, but every strong narrative needs vocal main characters. As the University emerges from pandemic-era restrictions and cutbacks, now is a particularly critical time to articulate clearly why the professors who made such a fundamental impact on us in the past and present deserve the necessary assets to have an even greater impact on future generations of Rochester students.
Meliora!
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Adam Konowe is a senior vice president at Edelman and an adjunct professor of communications at American University. He is a UR alumnus and parent, whose current university involvement includes the Alumni Board, D.C. Network Leadership Council, Parents Council, Admissions, Career Center, the History Department Alumni Advisory Committee, the International Theatre Program, and radio station WRUR.